Wednesday, December 17, 2008

The Holiday Season is upon us. To be more accurate weight gain season is upon us and runs straight through to New Year’s.

The next two months bring ample opportunity to indulge, enjoy and expand your waistline. Now is the time to plan for the whirlwind of holiday activities and cheer. So in the calm before the storm, in this moment of clarity, let’s outline a plan that will save you from unwanted holiday weight gain.

1) Put Your Feet to the Fire: Exercise is the first thing to go when the holiday season begins. This year do something drastic. Commit yourself to regular exercise throughout the holiday. Promising yourself that you will exercise is not enough; you need to promise to others so that you will not drop the ball.

· Commit to working with a fitness expert- The perfect solution for a consistent, challenging, and time effective workouts is to work with someone who knows how to help you accomplish your fitness goals. You will get the attention and assistance you need to cruise through the holidays and arrive in 2009 in the best shape of your life.

· Join a group- You simply will not be as effective on your own during holiday season. Joining a group lends accountability.

· Find a serious exercise buddy-Some friends can be a big help while others can pull you down. Choose your exercise buddy carefully. Some things to keep in mind. Do they Share your fitness goals? Are they encouraging? Do they stick with things? Are you at the same fitness level?

2)Cut the Fat: I mean this literally. I'm not going to imply that you shouldn't indulge in any seasonal treats, but think moderation. So often the holidays are used as an excuse to eat until the point of being uncomfortable – would you really miss that bloated feeling? Decide on a few fattening treats to cut out this year.

· At holiday parties load your plate first with greens, vegetables and lean meats before breads and heavier foods. Also drink water with your meal and keep alcoholic beverages to a minimum.

· Watch what you drink, most beverages are filled to the brim with calories. Hot drinks from Starbucks, cocktails at parties and eggnog around a crackling fire-all very enjoyable and all filled with empty calories.

At no other time in the year are we faced with so many sweets. To avoid being a Sugar Scrooge, but without adding pounds to your frame, try the one treat rule, each time you're in a social situation that involves sweets, just eat one, and enjoy your treat slowly.

If you truly want to enjoy the coming festivities without dealing with added pounds it is all in your hands. The key is your mindset. Most people approach the holidays with the mindset that says, “I deserve to indulge and I shouldn't have to exercise since it's the holidays.” This is fine if you don't mind entering 2009 a few pounds heavier, a little less healthy, and with lower energy than ever before. I believe that you deserve better. I believe that you should enter 2009 in better shape than you are today, healthier than you've been in a long time, and with more energy that you thought possible.

I know, I know, I know. The holidays are here and temptation seems to be EVERYWHERE. Now is NOT the time for those with a sweet tooth to fall off the wagon. So that's why I've got two great Holiday dessert ideas for you that won't pack on the pounds.

First, is Grilled Banana Splits. Here's the simple ingredients you'll need:4 ripe bananas2 Tbsp chocolate chips1/2 cup non-fat, frozen vanilla yogurt4 tsp chopped walnuts Here are the easy-to-follow directions:1- Preheat oven to 400 degrees2- Place each banana on its side on a piece of foil. Cut a slit lengthwise across the top. Leave the skin attached. 3- Push 1/2 Tbsp chocolate chips into the slit of each banana. 4- Wrap the bananas with the foil, leaving the top open. Grill or bake about 15 minutes or until the chocolate melts.5- Loosen the foil and press the bananas open a little. 6- Top each banana with 2Tbsp of the frozen yogurt and sprinkle with 1tsp walnuts.

That's it for a nutritious and delicious treat!

Second, if you like your life even easier, and you're a big fan of Dark Chocolate, you are going to LOVE ProgradeCravers. I seriously cannot even begin to tell you how delicious they taste. You have to watch this video to see for yourself. You'll see fitness professionals tasting ProgradeCravers for the very first time. Yes, fitness pros that have tasted every bar on the planet are amazed at how good they taste.Trust me, you have to see this: http://benjames.getprograde.com/cravers.

Fitness pros get a bad rap at times. And hey, sometimes it's well deserved. It's unfortunate, but there are still way too many "meat head" trainers who are more interested in looking at themselves in a mirror than they are in their own clients.

But we also take heat at times for being too interested in looks and appearance than health and wellness.Well, I'm going to fill you in on a little secret. We've tried to market our businesses by educating people about the health benefits of proper nutrition and exercise. We'd love for people to care more about their health than how they look.

Unfortunately, and this holds true for the vast majority of people, they only care about their health once they've lost it.

Think about that for a little bit.

I can tell you right now the unscrupulous marketers online are making a FORTUNE promoting these Acai Berry pills right now. And they are able to do that because they are promoting it as weight loss and not the real benefit of Acai Berry.

It is the "magic pill" of the day. If you've been paying attention to the weight loss market you'll know it used to be Hoodia.

Now, you might not like it, but I'm not going to be the one to lie to you. I'm not going to be the one to tell you take this little pill and watch the weight fall off. Acai Berry is a heck of an antioxidant that can help your body fight the aging process and help boost your immune system, but it's not going to flush the excess pounds off your belly, butt, hips and thighs. Sorry.

Now my friends at http://benjames.getprograde.com/ have an amazing product that includes Acai Berry as one of its main ingredients. But unlike the Grade A scumbags out there lying to you, they only promote their product for what it is; a very powerful Antioxidant formula to help boost your health.